Margaret Atwood’s new novel The Testaments confirmed for TV sequel

The Testaments won't be narrated by Offred (played by Elisabeth Moss in the series) but by three different voices: a young woman raised in the oppressive regime of Gilead; a teenage Canadian who learns that she was born in Gilead; and Aunt Lydia (played by Ann Dowd), an antagonist in both the original book and the Hulu series.

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Aunt Lydia's backstory was fleshed out in the latest season of The Handmaid's Tale, which revealed that she had been a single, primary-school-age teacher who had wrestled with her own desire and sense of shame pre-Gilead.

Atwood revealed that she had urged Hulu showrunners to keep the character alive, recalling: “You absolutely cannot kill Aunt Lydia, or I will have your head on a plate."

The writer also criticised showrunners' controversial decision to keep Offred/June in Gilead for a third season. “They can’t keep Offred in Gilead for many more seasons, or a certain amount of wheel spinning will be going on," she said. "They have to move her along — and I’ve given them lots of ways of how that would happen.”

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